Come Visit and Worship!

Come Visit and Worship!

Archive of Earlier Events

Free Community Cookout and Trick-or-Treat!

October 28th…Saturday 4 to 7 pm

Join us for an almost-end-of-Patch-party! Hamburger and hotdog cookout for everyone, plus trick-or-treating around the patch for the kiddos. Everything is free and anyone is welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

Saturday Mar 25th

In the morning, come get your garage sale fix – with multiple vendors in one location, there will be something for everyone! Or if you have items you would like to sell yourself, there’s still time to rent a table. (Call 727.329.9545 for more info.)

Grab some shave ice (dessert first!) and stick around after the yard sale for an afternoon fish fry – full plate is $8 and includes fish, hushpuppies, slaw, baked beans, dessert, and drink. You can eat on-site or take food to go.

Open House “Fresh Initiative Supply Hub”

Monday Jan 30th – 4:30 pm – 4530 39th ave N

January 30 is the Open House for UMCM brand new project, the Fresh Initiatives Supply Hub (FISH)!

With the FISH, we bridge the gap between large-scale food banks and the average food pantry that cannot sustain excess fresh food. The FISH provides community members the opportunity and resources to care for fresh food and send them out to appropriate pantries.

We welcome you to come by and visit the FISH, January 30, 4-6:30pm, 4515 38th Ave N
St. Petersburg, FL 33713.

“Men’s Breakfast”

Saturday Jan 21st – 8:30 am – Fellowship Hall

The United Methodist Men will hold their January breakfast and meeting on Saturday 1/21 at 8:30 in fellowship hall. All men are welcome and encouraged to attend. First timers eat free!!!!…..for more information, please contact Wen Hockersmith or call Church office, Everyone have a god blessed week!

“OPEN ROADS” SERVICE

Thursday Jan 12th 6:30 pm – Fellowship Hall

Everyone is invited to our “Open Roads” service held the second Thursday of each month. While our service will be a contemporary biker style service, we are open to everyone and would Love to see you.

We are non-denominational and a place where you will be accepted for who you are. No Dress code
Looking forward to seeing each and everyone of you

SPAGHETTI DINNER

Tuesday Jan 17th 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Fellowship Hall

If you’re looking for a delicious meal and don’t want to do any of the cooking or cleaning, look no farther than our monthly spaghetti dinner. The meal includes bread, salad, spaghetti and a wonderful dessert all served at your table. The meal is completely free and is open to the community…..more info…..>>>>>CLICK HERE<<<<<<

If you desire to lend a helping hand, we are always looking for individuals to help cook, serve, and clean up. Email the church at: Clearviewum@yahoo.com for more information.

Happy New Year 2017

Photo Courtesy Howard Liebowitz – Flickr Creative Commons

Beyond New Year’s resolutions — make ‘faithful intentions’

New Year’s Resolutions have always been a very pass/fail sort of test for me. I set myself up to forgo chocolate and lo and behold, two weeks into the New Year, I find myself munching nonchalantly on fudge. In the immortal words of comedian Steve Martin, “I forgot.” But worse, one slip up and I feel like I have failed. I can’t go back to “the day before the fudge” so what’s the point? My record is no longer perfect.But that is the whole point from a spiritual perspective. We’re not perfect. But we are improving.Resolving to be more spiritual is not a hard date to keep or a hard bar to leap over. It’s a daily resetting of your mind and soul. It’s trying again when you “fail” and knowing that you can never fail if you’re trying. It is…grace. Here a few ideas for growing spiritually and for spurring you to think of your own.

1. Count to 10

Your mother was right — or, maybe it was my mother — but anyway, counting to 10 is an age-old axiom for a reason. Our first reactions to things may be influenced by how stressed we are at the moment, what just happened in that meeting or where our blood sugar levels are hovering. Do you really want to snap at someone because you are mad at someone else? Especially, if it that someone else is yourself?

Taking a few seconds to think before speaking takes discipline and practice. But taking time to respond when you feel emotional is a spiritual exercise that will help you be more centered and more caring. Make sure you eat first.

2. Breathe

But I am! Right? Breathing is an involuntary response of the body. One that happens regardless of whether we’re aware of it. But breathing can become shallow or quick when we are anxious or stressed — and that is when we need oxygen the most.

There are over 30 verses in the Bible that mention breath and they seem to often be connected to or representative of Spirit, of God.

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. — Job 33:4

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit. — John 20:22

Mindful breathing is essential to our spiritual life because it connects our heads with our bodies and our bodies with our hearts. When I feel afraid or physically sick, I breathe 10 times as deeply and calmly as I can and remind myself that it will be OK. And it is.

3. Think positive thoughts

I read that human beings think three or four negative thoughts to every positive one. My friends admit to beating themselves up for their shortcomings or worrying to the point of distraction about the future.

When things are going wrong, that’s the most difficult time to be positive — and sometimes you just have to go to bed! But a steady stream of hopeful or reassuring thoughts can help bring us back to the truth that we are not alone.

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) or simply, “It’s going to be OK!” are better thoughts to think than, “I’ll never be able to do it!” Thinking on the true and good thing (Philippians 4:8) is far better than allowing fear to overcome you. No matter how bad the situation is, remember you are loved beyond measure.

A COVENANT PRAYER

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low by thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

“A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition” is used in the Covenant Renewal Service, often celebrated on New Year’s Eve or Day. This version is on page 607 in the United Methodist hymnal.

4. Love (and forgive) yourself

One of my favorite Bible verses ever, but one that has taken years for me to comprehend is “love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27, among others). What does that really mean? I struggled with thinking loving the self was, well, selfish. Now, as an adult, I understand that you cannot love and accept others if you do not love and accept yourself. You cannot express unconditional love if you do not first practice it with yourself.

There is a beautiful song by the Bluegrass band Mountain Heart that lists the writer’s transgressors and his success in forgiving them. Notice the last line.

Holding on to guilt can impact relationships because it blocks the flow of communication, of love itself. Practice grace — with yourself. You can’t truly live your life until you do.

5. Love one another (and forgive the ones you can’t forgive)

Such a simple directive. Such a beautiful philosophy. Did He really mean the ones we disagree with, too?!

Learning to love in the manner Christ intended is more of a lifetime goal than an immediate accomplishment. The progress sneaks up on you over months, years, sort of like when I gave up the perfection of Yoga Magazine and settled for “getting better.” Which is a nice verb phrase whose synonyms include “rejuvenate, restored and released.”

Forgiving people who have hurt us may well be the most difficult task we are asked to perform as Christians. But if you keep “carrying all that anger, it’ll eat you up inside,” as Don Henley sang. The subtitle of the Rev. Adam Hamilton’s book on forgiveness is, “Finding Peace Through Letting Go,” and it means just that. And just know…it’s a process. Accept where you are with it.

6. Pray — right where you are

I tend to agree with writer Anne Lamott that prayers are usually “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” or “Help me! Help me! Help me!” But as I grew spiritually, I began to pray for other people when I myself was hurting. It’s been a powerful practice that has changed my perspective about what others go through and how many blessings I actually have.

Pray. Pray in the way that works for you. If you haven’t in a while, if you don’t believe it works… then pray that. God’s not afraid of your doubt. Praying is something you can do wherever you are.

7. Be grateful — and be joyful

I woke up one morning when all I wanted to do was cry, and I heard clearly in my head:

This is the day that the Lord hath made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

So, I played “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, instead.

Gratitude is a spiritual practice that will change your life. It’s not just that it shifts your focus from what you don’t have to what you do have. It can lift your spirits in such a way that helps you cope when you are down.

Joy is an inside job but it can be inspired by external things. Music. Children. Nature. Art. Find them.

8. Think of the other fellow

That is what my mother used to say. “And you’ll feel better.” ?

When I was little, I thought doing things for others was about, well, others. It was the right and proper thing to do, but I wasn’t sure it was necessarily fun. But as an adult, I realized it did far more for me than it ever did for anyone I ever helped.

The Wesleyan tradition holds that faith and good works belong together. “We offer our lives back to God through a life of service.”

You cannot help someone else and not be changed yourself. Which may be the coolest paradox of “do unto others as you would have done unto you.” Try it.

You don’t have to master all spiritual practices this week or even this year. But you can earnestly strive to be more spiritual at any point in time. It is an on-going practice. A resolution you can re-make daily.

New! … “Not A Silent Night” Advent Bible Study

Monday nights 7:00 pm – Tues mornings 9:00 am

You’ve got one more chance to jump in at the start! Join us tomorrow morning – 9am in the Care and Share Room off the sanctuary.

Not A Silent Night, an Advent study by Adam Hamilton
Monday nights at 7pm – Tuesday mornings 9am(new folks welcome anytime, even if you miss the first week)

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First Day of Advent begins This Sunday November 27th through December 24th

What do the candles in our Advent wreath mean?

(reposted from UMC Communications Facebook)

The Advent wreath, four candles on a wreath of evergreen, is shaped in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. In some churches, four purple candles, one for each week in Advent, are used with one larger white candle in the middle as the Christ candle. Other churches prefer three purple or blue candles with one candle being rose or pink, to represent joy.

While the Advent wreath with its four candles did bring light to churches, it was not to illuminate the interior as much as to symbolize the coming of Christ. The Advent wreath began in the time of the Protestant reformer Martin Luther.

During each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. Others consider the lighting of the first candle to symbolize expectation, while the second symbolizes hope, the third joy and the fourth purity. The Christ candle is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day reminding Christians that Jesus is the light of the world. The order and exact wording vary among churches, but the wreath continually reminds us of whom we are called to be as followers of

Clearview Bell Choir-Christmas – 2015

Christmas – 2015

Video – “Lil Wolfe” Motorcycle Ministry

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Earlier 2015 Events

Come celebrate Christmas this month with us.

Visitors Are Always Welcome!

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Live Nativity

Sat., Dec. 19th 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Come see Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in the stable; spend quiet moment in the Prayer Tent; sing Christmas carols in the sanctuary; enjoy light refreshments and children’s crafts in Fellowship Hall